Jul 13, 2015

Lifeblog: On soon completing two months in Bangalore

Hello Readers!

So here I am... publishing this blog post on 13th July 2015, with tons of pride. I am two days away from completing two months in this "loveable chaos" called Bengaluru.
I remember using this analogy many years back, when I had first started this blog in 2009: "Life is a rollercoaster ride". To be honest, I cannot think of any other analogy even now. My two months here have been nothing but an "emotional rollercoaster".

Every single day has been a learning curve for me. It was very difficult, initially. But currently, I am honestly loving the vibes (good and bad) I am getting all around me! Coming from a tiny and quite boring city called Geneva, moving to the "larger-than-life" Bangalore was never going to be easy... but I am pleasantly surprised at the unexpected changes I have been going through.

In Geneva, I was very lazy, not very driven, and not too outgoing.

Now in Bangalore. I am one of the first ones to wake up in the building. I cook almost every weekend, do a lot of my laundry myself. I am a workaholic (and I love being one!). I enjoy the presence of people. I love going out by myself, I love roaming around using cab services, discovering new places. I am a safety and hygiene freak. I have turned very bold, if and when someone crosses their limits towards me or my loved ones. I am able to manage my resources well. So it's been quite the learning curve!

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So I thought of sharing some of the things I enjoy about being in Bangalore. Here have been the best parts of my stay here in Bangalore, and some of the basic tools and observations I have made here so far:

Mobile apps, e-commerce, taxi apps

Mobile technology has impacted Bangalore, and how! Thanks to my smartphone, I can now move around the city, using taxi services. I can order for any silly thing my heart wishes for, using e-commerce apps. (I call it my monthly retail therapy) I can look for restaurants and coffee shops, using my phone's app.

The book on the right is work of Fiction, a best-seller by Amish, ordered on an e-commerce website

Food

A Masala Cola Snow Gola... SO YUMMY

You have SO much variety here! It is crazy! From pizzas, to Punjabi food, to Chinese food, to burger joints, to Kerala food, to Udupi food, to local Bangalore food. You have cake shops, coffee shops, and all kinds of places!

Starbucks! (with my name on it!)

And for those who enjoy a bit of alcohol, Bangalore is an awesome place. Awesome bars and pubs. I believe this place is known for its pub culture.

Mall culture

Great malls, great places to hang out on weekends. And they are HUGE. I may not be able to afford all the expensive stuff displayed, but window shopping is fun. Hehe! Great food courts, and amazing cinemas.

Flora and Fauna (the Greenery and Scenery)

I have Keralite roots. To be frank, Bangalore can't be compared to Kerala. But on its own, it is BEAUTIFUL. The greenery is inspiring, and has a calming effect on me. A lot of great parks (which I am yet to discover)

And the sunrises and sunsets... wow, such a beauty.

The moon, as radiant as it can get

Weather

Such an amazing weather! Always pleasant. When it is sunny, it is pleasant. And when it rains... it is incredibly poetic...

I had the luck to get drenched under the Bangalore Rain (because I forgot my umbrella) - it was a rather fun and memorable experience, haha!

People

The people here are really nice! Bangalore have so many charming people. Really friendly, and very informal and casual meetings, compared to Geneva, I guess. Whether it's playing gully cricket with neighbor kids, or having light and funny conversations with colleagues during the coffee break, it's a good place to interact with people.

Concluding Note

So two months soon to be done and dusted, and one more to go, for me to hopefully be "fully settled" by then. The "3 months mark" could actually be a very special milestone.

Living in Bangalore has not been too easy. People think life is easier in Geneva, but Geneva is still a rather expensive place to be in. Things are far more affordable in Bangalore.. but then again there's the whole thing of "cost of living" - you do earn much less in India, than in a place like Switzerland.

2015 has been a year of Change so far. Being an adult feels great. It's quite a bit of "power" that comes with the independence. But in the words of Spider-Man: "With great power comes great responsibility."

And my addition to that: "With great responsibility, comes even greater power." And the cycle continues...

Hoping the coming months continue being fun and adventurous here, in these little ways, where I keep making simple and basic observations!